ATHENS — Preparing to open his first (and last) season as Georgia's starting quarterback, rising senior Hutson Mason seemed to reinforce the team's comfort level about his readiness for the role with his performance in Saturday's G-Day game.
Mason completed his first five passes of the game and 17 of 25 in the first half, including a 10-yard touchdown throw to wide receiver Reggie Davis that gave the Red team the lead for good at 10-7. Mason played sparingly in the second half, finishing the day 18-of-27 for 241 yards as the Red team beat the Black team 27-24. He threw no interceptions.
“I thought Hutson did a nice job, like he has been doing all spring long, of finding the open targets, getting us into the right plays and right protections,” coach Mark Richt said. “I thought he stood in the pocket very well and bought some time back there a couple of times to make some plays. He did a nice job, overall.”
Mason was pleased with his accuracy on short and intermediate passes, but “I just wish I would have thrown the deep ball a little better,” he said.
Of the two quarterbacks competing for the No. 2 job behind Mason — Faton Bauta and Brice Ramsey — Bauta had by far the better day.
Playing for the Black team, Bauta completed 16 of 28 passes for 232 yards; he threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter (a 41-yarder to Uriah LeMay and a 4-yarder to A.J. Turman) to make the final score close. He also had 35 yards rushing on six carries, including a long run of 20 yards. Unlike the other quarterbacks on both sides, Bauta opted to wear a regular jersey rather than a no-contact jersey customarily worn by QBs in practices and scrimmages.
“I just wanted to eliminate that factor so I could play live,” Bauta said.
“Sometimes the pocket broke down, and I was able to get out. There was some wide-open field, and I’m just going to go take it. We are taught not to be greedy as quarterbacks and are supposed to take what the defense gives us, so that’s what I look at it as.”
Splitting time between the two teams, Ramsey completed two of 13 passes for 78 yards.
But Richt said afterward that no determination has been made on who will be the No. 2 quarterback come next season.
“I’m not going to sit here today and say what kind of pecking order we have,” Richt said. “It was just one day.”
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